At least two passengers were killed and 22 others injured when six coaches of the Awam Express derailed near Lodhran Railway Station on Sunday morning, officials confirmed.
The train, which was en route from Lahore to Karachi, met with an accident in the early hours of the day. Rescue 1122 teams and police reached the spot immediately, carrying out a large-scale operation to evacuate passengers and shift the injured to nearby hospitals. Three critically injured passengers were transferred to Bahawalpur for advanced treatment.
Rescue officials said one of the deceased was identified as 32-year-old Waqas, a resident of Khushab.
Railway authorities arranged an alternative train to transport the remaining passengers to Karachi. Meanwhile, work has begun to restore the affected track, and an inquiry into the derailment has been launched.
The cause of the mishap has not yet been determined. However, recent derailments have drawn attention to the deteriorating state of Pakistan’s railway infrastructure. Just days earlier, two bogies of the Musa Pak Express derailed near Raiwind, leaving four passengers injured, an incident officials attributed to brake failure.
